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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 31, 1998)
The Battalion EWS Tuesday • March:] l^sday Campaign reform legislation stalls West Bank violence, troops remr—" WASHINGTON (AP) — Repub licans steered campaign finance legislation toward defeat in the House on Monday, ignoring out rage from Democrats and dissi dent GOP lawmakers who were de nied a vote on their own plan to clean up a scandal-ridden system. “I think that’s an abomination,” said Rep. Christopher Shays, R- Conn., who has clashed sharply with his own party’s leaders in re cent days. “Let’s come back with a real vote on campaign finance reform and allow the vote on bipartisan re form,” added Rep. Martin Meehan, D-Mass., who has worked with Shays and other lawmakers on a measure to overhaul the current political finance system. Republican leaders, maneuver ing to maintain control of the issue, were unrelenting. Despite the protests, they de cided to bring the issue to the floor in a package of four bills, with de bate limited to 40 minutes per measure, no amendments allowed and a two-thirds vote required for passage. Such rules are customar ily reserved for non-controversial bills. The first measure, originally crafted as a comprehensive GOP response to calls for campaign fi nance reform, would curtail union political activity and ban large, loosely regulated “soft mon ey” donations to the national po litical parties. It also would let local election officials seek federal help to verify prospective voters’ citizenship and permit individuals and political ac tion committees to donate larger sums to candidates than current law allows. Democrats and some Republi cans criticized the union provi sion. And advocates of a more comprehensive effort to reduce the money in campaigns said the soft-money ban included a gaping loophole that would let donations continue to state parties, which could funnel them to congres sional campaigns. The GOP leadership also was bringing three smaller bills to the floor. One would tighten the prohibi tion on non-citizens making dona tions or expenditures in connec tion with federal elections. A second would require stronger disclosure of contributions. The final one, dubbed “pay- check protection,” was identical to a portion of the broader bill. It would require unions to ob tain written consent from individ ual members before using their dues for political activity. Shays, Meehan and others pressed the GOP leadership to permit a vote on their own alter native approach. It includes a soft money ban for federal and state parties and con trols on late-campaign attack ads diat use a candidate’s name or face but aren’t covered by existing law. It also would allow non-union workers who pay agency fees to control the use of their own fees for political purposes, but that would not cover union members. The prospects for campaign fi nance legislation seemed brighter a year ago, given the reports of ap- parendy illegal donations from overseas to President Clinton’s campaign and the revelations of Clinton hosting White House cof fees for influential supporters. Given the GOP leadership’s po sition, lawmakers seeking to over haul the system could prevail only by gathering the 218 signatures needed on a petition to force their own measure to the floor. They are 30 votes shy and need more support from Republicans to succeed. JERUSALEM (AP) — U.S. envoy Dennis Ross made one last attempt Monday to get Israel to agree to a troop withdrawal from 13 percent of the West Bank—but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated Ross would leave empty-handed. The American mediator’s fourth and final meeting with Netanyahu ended Monday night with no deci sions, Israel Television said. Ross suggested that American patience was running out and the Clinton administration would not keep up the mediation effort in definitely. “At some point we have to bring this effort to a conclu sion,” he said. In the West Bank, Palestinians chanting “Death to America!” stoned Israeli troops as frustration grew over Washington’s inability to break the deadlock in the peace talks. Israeli troops fired tear gas and metal pellets to disperse hundreds of protesters in the West Bank towns of Bethlehem, El Bireh and Ramallah. Several Palestinians were injured. Palestinian police, meanwhile, rounded up several supporters of the Islamic militant group Hamas to question them about the explo sion of a car reportedly rigged with 110 pounds ofTNT. The car bomb, apparently in tended for use in an attack in Israel, went off prematurely Sunday in an industrial zone of the West Bank town of Ramallah, killing one Pales tinian. The blast reduced the car to a ball of twisted metal and leveled the garage it was hidden in. A gun and a hand grenade were found nearby, Israel’s Channel TWo television said. Ross was meeting with Ne tanyahu to try to get his backing for Washington’s proposal that Israel withdrawfrom 13 percent of the West Bank in several stage over 12 weeks. The Palestinians would meet each stage with new efforts to pre vent terror attacks in Israel. The Israeli leader said he did not expect a last-minute breakthrough. “I doubt whether such a short schedule will iron out all the issues,” Netanyahu told reporters. Netanyahu denied Israeli media reports that a compromise was be ing worked out and that he had in creased his initial withdrawal offer from 9 percent to 11 percent of the West Bank Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat blamed Israel for the deadlock and asked the United States to use “its international and regional weight" to find a solution. Current status H Palestinian control 15 •Jr ft Nablus ,\futiterrancun , . Sea A 1 * Ramallah' / /5L G£ sti Jerusalem-, , rC Bethlehem py Hebron nf Gaza Strip ISRAEL LGAIZN ALL A&OUT TffF e viz AIL THURSDAY, APRIL 2 5-6:30 PM • Rudder 302 Sponsored by Texas A&M Study Abroad Office and ITS Tours &Travel 161 Bizzell Hall West 845-0544 o o o d * A The Career Center is seeking a Graduate Assistant to assist graduate and professional students of Texas A&M with their career planning and job-hunting needs. Primary duties are: • Individual career advising • Publicizing / informing of current Career Center activities • Developing new services tailored to the needs of graduate students Salary and work hours: $12,000 for a 12-month appointment Start date: ASAP. Position open until filled Direct Resumes to: Terri Morrison Assistant Director Texas A&M Career Center 209 Koldus Palestinian official's were concerned the Ur::; was ready to modifyitM under Israeli pressure. H “We feel this isa J cn, ' U s American political wiIM^ a tln S ability to withstandisrc,J n . om 1 sigence," said lta»K'! e P* hs Palestinian Cabinet higher education. Monday’s marches*^ Bank were held to mart; spiead 1 s 1 ’ rnmMHMllonttmn F"’'' 1 l , 1 ' protest against landt^^s. in which six Israeli Amr 1 killed by Israeli troops. W , 7 H Biell.That mutated, ui It of man! like a dark mtdaise. It poss cam] as cause d, it is thi Th<2> UJorld Unfolds for Graduate. Stude^f 61 ^^ 631 ■ For exan |you who ■slowly sir and GrciduatinQ Seniors uuith: tention to t ■ the Physi With the hq |rries it, hi Iss Street < Beinfrastn If you’re a U.S.oltlzon. you can p®rforrr Snie M is sm; research abroad In tbe country of your cho: Also, the For more Information. Please attend an out of the g Information session In 154 Bizzell Hall Wesi S ( ^ ues acrf |en freshr Wednesday. /Npril 1 at 9:00 amscent TTIrursday. April 2 at <4-:00 pm Iddamag campus. Th ■tion. It kn The effei ten limite e smell is ore insidi d streets. The sme Study Abroad Programs: 161 Bizzell Hall West: 845-054l| Check out the Fulbright Website at http.-l/www.iieorglfulbright Pi K ajpjpa AM pha Pi Kappa bqwadroiu 16 GNl --a 3 9 S' CO Delta Gamma would like to thank the participants for supporting i%.]m<cli©r SpLasli 1998 Benefiting Service for Sight and the Delta Gamma Foundation Congratulations to the following winners! 1st 2n{l • 3r<tl 200 yuL TVleilley ZOE TKE ZN Over-Uimtler Relay Sq. 12 iika TKE IFire man Relay TKE een HKA Syncliroimizetl Swimming Sq. 16 nK<D Overall 'Winners ASO Sq. 16 AXA Spirit Award AZO Corps vs. IFC Penny War Corps of Cadets Sigma Phi Epsilon JBeta CL heta Pa Sigma Nw iS<f o>ee you &.£ the poo 11 n ex} J Q Ugrna CLi U A ERSP feat InDes Moil 36 year-olc AggicHostcl '98 Student Host Applications Now Available! Application and Information Sheet are available at these locations: ►Student Activities ♦MSC Student Programs Office ♦Clayton Williams Jr. Alumni Center The Association of Former Students will present AggieHostel '98 from June 21-June 27, 1998. The Student Hosts are the link to the Texas A&M of today for the Aggies of yesterday. Applications are due Friday, April 3, 1998 Visit our website at http://aggienet.tamu.edu/aggiehostel For more information contact Liza Gonzalez at 693-4758 or Christa Fenoglio 847-0682 PROFITABLE NUMBER! The Battalion Classified Advertising lother of inced that Bit with the POne of her 1 Mdents. Ifehe is curr Ben-and-a- for a conv Eond-degre it 14-year-o hAUv. ■ child. [News such Ince of a sl( ountry. 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